The Black Cauldron and the One Ring: Part One
by Uruz 11
Summary: The Horned King has allied with Sauron and Saruman, they plan to unleash destruction and darkness accross Prydain and Middle-Earth together unless they aren't opposed. Gandalf leads Taran and his friends together with with other folk on a perilous journey in an effort to destroy the One Ring before the three evil foes can conquer all in their path. Taran/Eilonwy Aragorn/Arwen
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Black Cauldron, Lord of the Rings; or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

The Black Cauldron and the One Ring

Chapter #1: Mysterious Revelations

In a peaceful part of Prydain, there was a small piece of land which was home to an old man who went by the name of Dallben; a kind hearted person who possessed many years of great knowledge and wisdom. Although he lived out in the wilderness which benefited him with the peace and quiet because it was far from towns and villages, he didn't live entirely alone; Taran also lived there with him. Out of his kindness, Dallben had taken Taran in in the hopes that the young boy would one day follow in his footsteps and take on the responsibility of carefully guarding a most precious secret; a secret that Taran did not yet know about until one fateful day when he'd finally find out. For now as he did for many a day during the past few years, Taran felt as though he was missing out on the joys and adventures that many other boys his own age frequently enjoyed; for he dreamed of being trained in horsemanship and swordsmanship like so that he would grow up into a great warrior some day and achieve great fame and glory as all heroic warriors and knights did throughout the land. For now however, he was stuck here at the cottage which was his home where he was tasked with tending to one of the farm animals; a female pig named Hen Wen to be more specific who was always treated with very special care for some mysterious reason.

Sitting at his desk inside of his study which was filled with books, scrolls and other such items; Dallben was talking to himself as he carefully pondered for possible answers regarding the matter he was trying to work out in his mind. The old man was almost bald except for the amount of gray hair that covered the back and sides of his head, and although he was thin on top and thick in the middle as far as being in shape was concerned, the old man was managed to stay very healthy and active for someone in his old age; which was something to be said considering how much time he spent working in his study with all of his books and so on. He was dressed in a red long sleeved garment with an almost reddish-brown vest worn over top of it, along with what looked like a purple apron worn underneath both of those that nearly hung down to his feet; leaving only his brown boats visible and covering what ever pants he wore as well. It was a beautiful warm spring day, flowers were blooming and the birds were singing; everything was alright except for the troubling thoughts on Dallben's mind.

"There's something amiss throughout the land, though I don't know what it is; I can feel it in my bones and I'm sure many other folk are aware of it too since they keep themselves behind closed doors and don't travel around as much as they used too these passed few weeks." Dallben pondered out loud as he eyed the map of Prydain carefully which was unfolded on his desk, all with a furry orange cat rubbing itself against him for attention. "It must have something to do with the Horned King, that black-hearted devil is up to something; but he hasn't yet done anything which could give even a hint of what he's planning. What could he possibly be waiting for I wonder?"

"MEOW!" The orange cat cried since it wanted attention, telling his master know that he's hungry.

"Yes cat, I know you want your breakfast; but I'm deep in thought about something important right now." Dallben answered, thinking quietly once more as he paced around his workroom which was next door to the kitchen; until the sound of the boiling pot hanging over the fire inside of the huge stone oven caught his attention. "Oh no, Taran? The pot is boiling over Taran."

Standing at the window just a few feet away from the oven, there was a young boy resting his elbows on the windowsill and holding his head in his hands; he was obviously daydreaming as he looked outside and didn't seem to hear Dallben calling out to him. This young boy was Taran, dressed in olive green pant and a yellow long-sleeved shirt with a light brown vest over top; he also wore brown boats which nearly came up to his knees. His chestnut brown hair was a little messy, but not enough to interfere with his handsome young face; his deep brown eyes almost looked like portals leading to another world if one were to gaze into them hard enough. Although he had lost track of time and was occupied with daydreaming about embarking on quests and adventures, Taran's mind was eventually brought back to reality as his ears detected Dallben's voice calling to him from the study; forcing the young boy to turn around and get back to focusing on the boiling pot hanging over the fire in the oven.

"Oh, I'm sorry Dallben; I was thinking to myself for a little bit." Taran said apologetically before there was a knock at the door. "Are you expecting visitors?"

"Rather odd for someone to be knocking at the door so early in the morning, I wonder who it could be." Dallben responded curiously as he went to the front entrance of the cottage, opening the door to see who it was; his eyes widened and a smile crossed his aged face. "Well isn't this a surprise, good morning Gandalf; I honestly wasn't expecting you of all people to pay me a visit here in Prydain. "Dallben said, backing up and politely holding the door open to allow his guest to enter. "Please come inside old friend, we can sit and talk in my study."

Taran was curious who Dallben's unforeseen visitor was, and so he wandered over to take a quick look before going about his daily chores; starting with emptying the huge pot from the oven. Standing outside the door was a very tall old man wearing a long gray cloak which covered over the rest of his clothes except for the black foots on his feet and the grey pointed hat on his head; he had a long gray beard and looked as old as if not older that even Dallben. His deep eyes held a mysterious gaze that gave Taran the impression that the man had an ability to read the thoughts of who ever he stared at which made the young boy feel just a little uncomfortable, but his worries would be brought to an end once he saw that this stranger was on friendly terms with his master. The man carried with him, a long wooden staff and also had a sword; the weapon was sheathed and secured on a belt which was tied around his cloak. Taran's eyes became fixated on the sword as soon as he had laid his eyes on it, he suddenly found himself wishing that he too had a sword of his own; he was young after all and wanted nothing more than to go on an epic quest filled with adventure so he could live his dreams.

"Thank you Dallben, I apologize for coming unannounced and at such an early hour; I hope I haven't caused you any inconvenience." Gandalf said, lowering his head slightly as he entered, carrying his hat which he had removed along with his wooden staff; carefully making his way inside so avoid bumping his head.

"Oh nonsense, we've eaten breakfast already and I was just about to…Taran!" Dallben responded, making Taran turn his gaze away from Gandalf's sword; making Gandalf look at Taran curiously as soon as he noticed the young boy had been staring at his sword. "Didn't you hear me the first time when I told you the pot was boiling over? Hurry up and empty it or else the contents will be burned and stuck to the inside!"

"Sorry Dallben." Taran replied quickly before doing as he was told, hurriedly scanning the kitchen for a rag or cloth to grasp the lid with to avoid burning himself. "I was just thinking, what if the war is over before I ever get a chance to find in it?"

"I'd call that a blessing Taran, war isn't fun and games as you think it might be; people who fight in them get injured and killed." Dallben remarked.

"But I'm not afraid…ouch!" Taran replied, suddenly withdrawing his hand away from the lid after becoming forgetful and touching the hot lid with his fingers; waving it around until the pain had gone so he could grab a damp cloth to grab it with.

"Ah ha, yes; there you see?" Dallben replied with a chuckle at the young boy's accident while he and Gandalf sat down together. "In war, people get injured far more seriously than that; some even have their hands and arms cut off and are never able to fight or work again. Now if the Horned King should ever return and cause havoc and bloodshed, you'll have a lot more to worry about that a burned finger."

"Dallben's absolutely right Taran, you should heed his warnings; I've seen plenty of young foolish folk get themselves into danger not knowing the consequences of what they've gotten into until after its to late." Gandalf added as he prepared to smoke his wooden pipe.

"I only want a chance to go on a glorious adventure." Taran replied frustratingly as he used a ladle to scoop out the pot until it was empty, filling two evenly sized wooden bowls with its contents; the food looked like porridge even though it was probably something else entirely since it had been made and cooked by Dallben. "Is that too much to ask? I feel that I'm meant for being someone better than what I am now."

"Alright Taran, that's enough; that's enough." Dallben cut in as he walked over to the boy, taking notice of the hungry orange cat that was sniffing the bowls of hot food. "Stay your paws cat, that food isn't for you; it's for Hen Wen."

"Hen Wen, Hen Wen; I'm always taking care of Hen Wen!" Taran commented angrily before quieting down and letting out a long sigh.

"And one day, my boy; you may learn why taking care of her is so important." Dallben said, before picking up one of the bowls and handing it to Taran who took it with both of his hands. "Now now more daydreaming, you have chores to do; dreaming is for bedtime."

"Yes sir, I'm sorry." Taran said softly as he obeyed, leaving the kitchen and walking outside to go feed Hen Wen her breakfast.

"Ah, he's still so young and anxious; and so blind to all the perilous dangers and await those who go on adventurous quests." Dallben said with a sigh, feeling bad that he was only trying to protect Taran even though he was keeping the boy from living his dream; until he was suddenly cheered up by the hungry cat that was now sniffing the remaining bowl of food. "Ah, you're one lucky cat; there's just enough food left over for you."

"Young men always are Dallben; don't be so hard on yourself for merely trying to keep Taran out of danger." Gandalf cut in suddenly after the cat rolled over as if it had suddenly gotten sick and was going to throw up. "Taran just wants what all young men want in life."

"Taran's not a young man, not yet anyway; he's still just a lad who had no idea of how dangerous the world truly is." Dallben replied with a sigh, before rejoining Gandalf at the table. "Now then Gandalf, please tell me why you've come here; its been many long years since your last visit even though I expect you have far more pressing places to go conducting your business in rather than Prydain."

"Indeed it has, yes I have been to various other realms and kingdoms which are far away from here as you already know; in fact I've been forced to return and seek out your help for a matter which is of the utmost importance." Gandalf explained, drawing Dallben's attention. "But before we discuss it, could I ask how things are doing here in Prydain; I should like to hear what you have to say first."

"Very well then." Dallben said, taking a minute to recollect his thoughts and find the right words to explain everything in the correct order.

Meanwhile outside, Taran was slowly walking as he once again found himself dreaming of a more adventurous life he longed to have instead of the one he presently find himself stuck in; wandering across the wooden bridge over a stream and forcing the five or six noisy ducks to get out of his way. Walking to a stone fenced area which surrounded the barn and smaller shelters where the farm animals were kept, Taran unhitched the gate and walked inside to a very small round wooden hut with a straw roof over it; he didn't enjoy doing this sort of work day after day and it was really starting to get to him. If it were left up to Dallben, Taran would remain an assistant pig keeper forever until he eventually grew into an old man; that was the last thing he wanted for himself.

"Dallben doesn't understand I'm not a little boy anymore; I wish he'd stop thinking of me as one. I should be going on quests and doing heroic deeds for Prydain instead of looking after a spoiled pig…hey!" Taran said out loud to himself as he set the bowl down and slid it inside of the hut with his foot, only to see it suddenly shoved back out which told him Hen Wen had overheard him talking word for word. "Oh alright Hen, I'm sorry; I didn't mean a word of it."

Once she heard Taran's apology, the tubby pink pig crawled out and inspected her food curiously as she took a few sniffs with her long snout; but she reluctantly started to eat it insight of the horrible taste since Dallben had cooked it especially for her and only her. Taran crouched down and watched Hen Wen eat slowly; occasionally giving the animal a few soft pets on her head and back; making her grunt affectionately as she continued eating. After a few minutes, Hen Wen finished her morning meal and the bowl was empty; she was full and would be content for a while until supper time arrived later in the day. Although Taran treated and looked after Hen Wen with great care, he didn't want to do this forever and while the pig and grown a fond attachment to the young boy; she was only a pig and was powerless to help him change his fate…or so Taran thought.

"I don't want to spend the rest of my life pampering a pig everyday until I'm an old man like Dallben, I know he think's I can't handle myself; but I'm not afraid of fighting." Taran said before his eye caught a long stick in the grass which he picked up and started swinging it around as if it were a real sword like the one he saw Gandalf carrying on him. "I can fight and use a sword just as well as any knight in Prydain, come on and fight me you cowards; see if you can match the skill of the greatest warrior Prydain has ever known!"

Running forward and swinging the wooden stick back and forth like a real weapon, Taran charged ahead a few pace as he enjoyed fantasizing for a brief period; scaring the ducks away and causing them to quack uncontrollably. The noise had even caught the attention of Dallben and Gandalf who were still inside the cottage, drawing their curiosity as they both stood up and went to the front door to see what was happening; Dallben lowered his head down and sighed at the foolish and playful sight of his young assistant who was daydreaming yet again. Gandalf found the sight to be a little amusing for the moment, as long as no one got hurt; it wasn't entirely wrong to play make believe as all young children and teens do regardless of what races they are.

"Look who finally shows himself on the battlefield, his majesty; the Horned King!" Taran said triumphantly, looking at an old furry goat that had trotted in front of his path after being disturbed from its nap by the noisy ducks which had been scared off; not knowing what was going to happen until after it was too late. "Draw your sword you lord of evil, I challenge you to a duel; a duel which will decide the fate of all Prydain!"

Taking the stick and positioning it between the goat's horns, Taran rattled the stick from side to side suddenly; making the goat's head shake and spin with dizziness which made Taran laugh along with Gandalf who tries to contain himself for a moment. Lost in the glory of the moment, Taran turned around to face Hen Wen and declare himself the victor of duel; not noticing that he had angered the horned animal he had just harassed. Once it had recovered from the momentary dizziness, the infuriated goat charged forward and struck an unsuspecting Taran from behind with its head; causing the boy to fly forward and perform two summersaults until he finally landed on his back in the dirty mud. All of the ducks were now quacking hilariously at Taran's folly while the goat returned to its place of relaxation, Taran decided to play the tragic hero who died in battle; pretending as though he had been felled and stabbed with his own sword from the fall he had taken.

"Prydain's finest warrior dies after defeating the Horned King and saving the country, only to lose his own life; and so Taran of Caer Dallben draws his last breath…" Taran said softly with an imitated tone of voice so he would sound as though he was weak and dying; closing his eyes afterwards for perhaps a moment so that his imaginary audience could pause and pay their respects in silence.

"What am I going to do with him Gandalf?" Dallben asked quietly with a sigh. "He just never learns; I doubt he'll ever learn at this rate."

"He'll learn in time as everyone eventually does Dallben." Gandalf commented before padding his friend on the back. "Come, let us disturb his daydreaming."

Hen Wen curiously approached Taran and sniffed his head, getting some mud on his cheek as her soft snout rubbed against him which made him open his eyes; giving the concerned pig a smile to show that he was actually alright even though he had taken that hit from the goat. A shadow suddenly crossed over Taran and Hen Wen, when they both looked up; they were surprised to find Dallben and Gandalf had come outside and were now watching them. Not wanting to look like a fool or get in anymore trouble than what he was probably in already, Taran quickly got up proceeded to wipe the mud and dirt off of Hen Wen; wearing an embarrassed look once he found out that the two old men had been watching him for a short while now.

"Another daydream eh Taran?" Dallben asked sarcastically. "You should learn to be more careful, you were lucky that you only aggravated a goat and not the real Horned King; now please try to stop daydreaming for the rest of today and get on with your chores."

"But Dallben, this isn't the life I want for myself; I want something more." Taran countered. "Will I ever be nothing more than just an assistant pig keeper?"

"Hen Wen is a very special pig Taran, there's far more to her than meets the eye; you just can't see it yet because you don't know how special she truly is." Dallben answered, kneeling down to rub his hand gently over the pig's tummy; she was lying upside down on her back and grunted happily as she enjoyed the experience. "Now give her a nice bath so she'll be nice and clean, come inside afterwards and tidy up the kitchen; come along Gandalf so we can resume our discussion."

"Yes sir, come then Hen Wen; time for your bath." Taran replied in obedience as he resumed his work, picking up Hen Wen and placing her inside of a small barrel full of water before splashing a small bucket of soapy water over top of her; now he just had to scrub her gently until she was clean. "Okay, now that you're all covered in soapy water; its time for your favourite part so get comfortable."

Hen Wen stiffed herself around in the water filled barrel, she was comfy enough so she could lay still and relax while Taran scrubbed her for a brief period until she was clean once all of the mud and dirt had been washed away; but this enjoyable experience wasn't going to turn out that way on this occasion however. A split second after she had shut her eyes, Hen Wen's mind became aware of a troubling vision which she couldn't ignore; for it frightened her enough to squeal in alarm as she panicked out of control a moment later. Not knowing what had come over Hen Wen, Taran tried holding her still in a vain effort to calm down the panic stricken pig; the commotion could be heard off from inside of the cottage which quickly drew Dallben and Gandalf outside to find out what was wrong.

"What's going on Taran?" Dallben asked demandingly, having been interrupted from his discussion with Gandalf a second time.

"I…I don't know Dallben!" Taran cried out, trying to take hold of Hen Wen and stop her from escaping him; looking at Dallben as he wondered what was wrong and why she was suddenly acting so scared all of a sudden. "Hen Wen's suddenly become frightened by something, I don't know what's come over her; there has to be something wrong with her!"

"What?" Dallben asked, his gaze turning serious with concern as he understood what had happened. "Quickly lad, bring her inside to the kitchen at once; hurry!"

Taran did as he was told and tried to pick Hen Wen up in his arms so he could take her indoors, but she was putting up quite a struggle; it took a few minutes to really hold her still until she eventually calmed out and became cooperative enough for Taran to carry her. In the kitchen, Dallben set a wide wooden bowl in the middle of the kitchen floor which was filled with water; he then set a small candle right beside and lit it on fire. Gandalf had shut all the doors and windows as he had been asked, causing the interior of the cottage to become dark so no sunlight from outside would disrupt what Dallben was going to perform; he then joined Dallben in the kitchen once Taran arrived with a now calmed down Hen Wen held in his arms.

"What's all of that for?" Taran asked curiously, not knowing at all what his master was planning to do after observing the bowl of water.

"Put Hen Wen down Taran, I don't ever use her powers unless I absolutely have too; and now I must do so find out what's wrong." Dallben answered, kneeling briefly for a moment to examine Hen Wen while she strode up to the bowl of water; getting the attention of both Taran and Gandalf as well.

"Hen Wen has powers?" Taran asked in surprise, drawing a look of seriousness from his master Dallben as he waited for an answer.

"Taran, you must promise me that you will never ever reveal anything of what you are about to see before you now; not to anyone." Dallben asked, grabbing a tall T shaped staff which he then dipped into the bowl of water and stirred ever so slowly; getting Hen Wen's attention as everyone watched closely. "Hen Wen, from you I do beseech knowledge that lies beyond my reach. Troubled thoughts weigh on your heart, share you now those thoughts impart."

Hen Wen became hypnotized by the end of the staff stirring the water, her eyes getting dizzy until she collapsed on the floor with her head resting on the edge of the bowl and her snout touching the surface of the water; it was at that moment when Dallben removed his staff from the bowl now that the most important phase of this act was about to unfold. Hen Wen's eyes remained open and still as a mysterious light shone out from her head on the surface of the water, transforming the ordinary liquid into a magical window similar in appearance to the inside of a crystal ball which wizards and sorcerers would use for seeing future events or making prophetic predications after having gained enough knowledge from what visions they could see. Taran was awestruck, never in his life or even his wildest dreams had he seen anything so supernatural before; nor had he any idea that Hen Wen possessed any special powers which allowed Dallben to see visions of what were occurring or could occur at any present time. Gandalf however, remained unfazed from the captivating sight; for he had scene it a few times before during his previous visits when he came seeking Dallben's aid when he had no other alternative for finding out answers or information to what ever mysteries or secretive business the old wizard constantly dealt with. Although he was already aware of Hen Wen's special powers and had kept Hen Wen's hidden ability a close guarded secret which he shared with Dallben after giving his word that he would never speak of it to anyone as long as he lived, Gandalf's attention was now drawn to the bowl of water so he could see what visions were being revealed; for that was his reason for coming here today.

"Ah, the Horned King. Shush Taran, don't interfere and don't touch the water." Dallben said softly, watching the blurry vision of a horned headed human figure riding swiftly on a horse before the image changed; showing two creatures which a dragon like appearance flying through the air and circling like hungry predators hunting a helpless prey on the ground. "He's searching for something, or maybe even someone…The Black Cauldron, so that's what he's after!"

"The Black Cauldron?" Taran asked curiously as he continued watching the mysterious visions beneath the surface of the water.

"An awesome weapon of unspeakable evil which has been lost in time and hidden for centuries, but if the Horned King should ever find it and unleash it's evil power; then nothing could stand against him." Dallben answered as the image of the Black Cauldron soon changed and was replaced by the next one, an entirely different one which even Dallben himself didn't know or recognize. "Wait, what is that?"

The three observers gazed closely at the bowl water and the visions which it revealed after they were extracted from Hen Wen's mind, although the Black Cauldron had now vanished; the Horned King's face still remained along with his skeletal looking hands which were encircling something else that now appeared. A tiny golden ring suddenly appeared along with a frightening image of an enormous eye; burning and surrounded in orange flames. The Horned King was holding out the tiny golden ring in his bony palms towards the evil looking evil and the Black Cauldron appeared briefly once more, awaking a cruel smile of satisfaction on the face of the evil person; it would appear as though the two evil figures were exchanging the two possessions as people commonly would do while conducting a bargain of some kind. But before anything more could be deduced, the image changed again; everything disappeared entirely as was replaced by a pink pig running frantically for its very life.

"I know what that is, and more importantly; who it belongs too." Gandalf spoke up in a deep voice; wearing a very serious expression on his face as he continued watching the images being revealed one after another; making Taran and Dallben look concerned and worried.

"Look that looks like Hen Wen!" Taran pointed out, guessing correctly that it was Hen Wen having looked after her for such a long time.

"He knows…stop! Enough!" Dallben said, striking the bowl of water with the end of his staff; wiping out any traces of the vision within the water and causing it to return to normal as Hen Wen was brought out of her temporary trance. "Hen Wen is no longer safe here!"

"Why not Dallen?" Taran asked, suddenly becoming more curious about everything he had just seen and wanting to know more about it.

"Only the three of us know the secret of Hen Wen's power, but now the Horned King has discovered it; we must do everything we can to make sure he can never use her power to find the Black Cauldron." Dallben answered, gathering some bread and fruit to pack up for travelling now that Hen Wen had to be relocated somewhere safe. "Taran, you must take Hen Wen to the hidden cottage at the edge of the Forbidden Forest; keep her safely hidden and never ever bring her outside until I come to see you once it's safe to return."

"But why should we hide?" Taran asked, not wanting to hide like a coward and miss the chance of performing a heroic deed for Prydain.

"Because its likely that the Horned King will come here looking for Hen Wen, that is why you must take her away where she'll be safe; we can not allow her to fall into his hands or else it will mean the end for all of the people who live in Prydain." Dallben answered.

"I'm not afraid of the Horned King!" Taran said defiantly in a tough voice. "If I had a sword, I would protect Hen Wen from anyone including him!"

"Then you are very naïve and foolish, untried courage is no match for the Horned King's evil; just remember that while you guard Hen Wen." Dallben replied after wrapping up enough food provisions for Taran's journey ahead. "Although we now know he's after Hen Wen so he can use her powers to try and find the whereabouts of the Black Cauldron, I don't know the meaning of the other visions we saw or of the other person in them who was exchanging the Black Cauldron for that golden ring; that will have to be looked into as well."

"I think I already understand the meaning behind the vision we all saw, for I saw that same vision once before during my visit to Lothlorien many days ago; it was shown to me in the mirror of Galadriel and that's what made me come here so I could attempt to confirm what I had seen." Gandalf pointed out, drawing the attention both Dallben and Taran before continuing any further. "Galadriel is known as the Lady of the Galadhrim to the elves who live in the land of Lothlorien, the mirror is similar to what we have seen because it is made by pouring water from a spring and into a silver basin from which visions can been seen when one looks into it; and only she has ability and strength of mind to repeatedly use it in order to seek knowledge which is why it is so named the mirror of Galadriel. It shows many things that were, things that are; and some things that have not yet come to pass which mean that they might not ever happen even though there is a possibility according to the glimpses that are seen."

"I see, you were unsure of whether or not the meaning of the visions were definite and that's why you came here seeking my help." Dallben deduced. "You knew that Hen Wen can see things which are real whether they've happened yet or not, since you couldn't completely reply on what you were shown in Galadriel's mirror; you were forced to come here in person to confirm the truth of all that."

"Yes Dallben, that's true; but the main reason I came here was because I alone recognized the Black Cauldron along with the Horned King and Hen Wen after hearing you tell me about them during my previous visits here." Gandalf explained, pulling out a map of Middle Earth and lining it up with Dallben's map of Prydain. "The Black Cauldron as you yourself said has been hidden in Prydain for centuries, but according to the vision I've now seen twice; the Horned King has found out about the One Ring and he intends to return it to its rightful owner in exchange for the Black Cauldron if he should acquire Sauron's ring. Now there's something out of place with what we've all seen, first of all; both of these evil weapons have been hidden and lost for countless years. Secondly, Prydain is located to the southwest of southernmost area of Gondor which is nothing more then an empty desert that is uninhabitable. You can see on your map that Prydain is separated by a vast sea which lies between it and the rest of Gondor with only the desert area connecting it with Middle Earth, as both of you can easily see; there's an awfully vast space between Prydain and the land of Mordor which is where the Dark Lord Sauron rules over. Thirdly, the vision shows that the Horned King has come into contact with the Dark Lord Sauron which means now the Lord of Mordor also knows of the Black Cauldron; I can see on your faces that both of you understand what I'm getting at."

"Yes Gandalf, you're right." Dallben responded as he, Gandalf and Taran stood around the desk studying the two maps carefully. "How could the Horned King and the Dark Lord Sauron have met without travelling across such vast distances from one country to another? , The Horned King hasn't travelled outside of Prydain as far as I can tell from all the rumours and mutterings from the people, although both evil foes intend to bargain with one another in the unlikely event that each person comes into possession of the weapon which the other so desires; we know that the Horned King still needs Hen Wen's powers to find out the Black Cauldron's present whereabouts. And besides that, why should the Dark Lord Sauron bargain for it when he could just take it by force; it would be much simpler given that he rules over all of Mordor."

"Wait just a moment, there's something I don't quite understand." Taran asked. "How could the Horned King even make a bargaining agreement if Prydain is so far away from the land of Mordor? And how can the Black Cauldron and the One Ring each be used as weapon?"

"The Black Cauldron was created from an evil king who was thrown alive into a crucible of molten iron, capturing his demonic spirit in the form of a Black Cauldron which was then created from the iron itself; this was done because he was too dangerous to be kept alive and also because no prison could contain him." Dallben answered. "As you already know, the Black Cauldron has been hidden for many centuries while evil kings and other black hearted men searched for it throughout their whole lives; one generation after another. Who ever possesses it gains the power to resurrect the dead back to life, giving them the means to create an invincible army of soldiers who can't be killed or defeated; meaning that who ever possesses the Black Cauldron can conquer all the lands until the entire world falls under his rule."

"Wow…" Taran replied in awe momentarily. "What about the One Ring then?"

"The One Ring was created from the evil spiritual essence of the Dark Lord Sauron, it was forged from the molten fire of Mount Doom; also known as Orodruin the Fire Mountain which dwells in the land of Mordor." Gandalf explained. "Now, unlike the Black Cauldron which can be freely used by anyone who come into possession of it; the One Ring has a will of its own which can corrupt who ever possesses it. If a person keeps this ring for too long, they eventually become enslaved by it; so much that they will do anything to ensure no one else can have it but themselves. The One Ring uses its evil to mentally manipulate its possessor until the person is no longer of any use to it, the One Ring then abandons the said person by literally slipping off the finger of its wearer so that it will be lost and later found by another; this cycle continues endlessly until the One Ring can find a way to return to its true master. The One Ring cannot be destroyed by any craft or destructive methods which we possess, it was made in the fires of Mount Doom and only by casting it back into the molten fire; can it be destroyed along with the evil power which keeps the Dark Lord Sauron alive and powerful. He needs only the One Ring to give him the invincible strength he requires to wipe out all those who oppose him, conquer all the lands and cover them in darkness; and we've now learned he's allied himself with the Horned King which means both of these two evil foes are working together so that each of them can come into possession of the weapons which will grant them the means to conquer all and remain unopposed.

"But that doesn't make any sense at all." Taran cut in. "Wouldn't they be forced to fight against each other afterwards once each of them has what they want? Who would win in the end if they suddenly battled against each other? The Dark Lord Sauron or the Horned King? Which weapon would be considered more dangerous and powerful? The One Ring or the Black Cauldron? One of you must know!"

"It definitely looks as though they're going to be allies until after each of them has what they want, the Dark Lord Sauron wants the One Ring returned to him and the Horned King wants the Black Cauldron; that's all we know of for the moment anyway." Gandalf answered after taking a moment to think carefully. "I'm afraid that even I can't possibly find an answer to those other questions of yours Taran."

"Nor I, and I for one don't think I'd ever want to know; those answers would be too horrible to bear. But enough of that now, its time for you to be on your way with Hen Wen; here are some provisions for you." Dallben added, handing Taran the bag of food provisions he had packed. "Gandalf, I know there a many pressing matters for you to attend too in Middle Earth but…can I ask you to accompany Taran until he and Hen Wen arrive at the hidden Cottage at the edge of the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yes you may, with so much at stake; the last thing I want is for Hen Wen to fall into the Horned King's hands." Gandalf answered, making Dallben sigh with relief. "After Taran and Hen Wen arrive at their hidden sanctuary, I myself must sail back across the sea to Gondor and from there; an even longer road awaits me until I eventually arrive at my next important destination."

"Thank you Gandalf, I greatly appreciate this." Dallben said gratefully.

"You're very welcome; it's the least I could do to repay you for all the times you've used Hen Wen's powers to help me in my need." Gandalf replied, standing up from his chair and stretching his arms and legs. "But before I go, I must take my map and my pipe so that no trace of my presence is left behind; I wouldn't want any unwelcome servants of our enemies to find out I had recently been here."

"Of course my old friend, Taran; be a good lad and take care of yourself." Dallben said, giving Taran a farewell hug before his young assistance pig keeper set out on his journey. "Heed Gandalf's instructions in case you encounter any danger, Hen Wen will be counting on you to keep her safe from harm; look after her and see that she's well protected and kept hidden while you're by yourselves."

"Goodbye Dallben." Taran said before getting out of the hug. "I won't fail you and I'll promise to protect Hen Wen no matter what it takes."

"I know you will my boy, good luck and have a safe journey." Dallben said with one final goodbye as Taran and Hen Wen walked out of the cottage doorway, Taran had a length of rope which was gently secured around Hen Wen's neck so it looked as though he was walking her like one would normally walk a pet dog. "There's so much responsibility to be resting on his young shoulders, and so soon for one as young as Taran; too soon for a boy of his age to be getting involved in such dangerous and life threatening matters like these."

"Dallben?" Gandalf asked, drawing Dallben's attention. "I must ask you something, if events should escalate and become worse in the innumerable days we must face ahead; I want your permission to allow Taran and Hen Wen to travel with me if Prydain becomes unsafe for them. I know how much you worry for Taran's safety, but this will give him an opportunity to learn that war and adventure aren't so glorious and fun as he thinks they are; allowing him to see and experience the grim reality of them both will change his attitude and teach him a wise lesson in life."

"I understand Gandalf, as much as I would like to say no; you have once again proven that some things must be done regardless of one's own personal feelings." Dallben replied softly. "I only hope Taran learns quickly enough before he witnesses anything horrible."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to give him some good advice so that he will learn all he needs so he'll wise up soon." Gandalf countered, leaving the cottage and carrying his few tiny belongings inside the pockets of his gray cloak, using his tall wooden staff as a cane to slowly walk along until he left the property and arrived at the spot where Taran was presently waiting for him with Hen Wen at his side.

"You're late Gandalf." Taran stated sarcastically, causing Gandalf to raise an eyebrow at the boy's sudden change in attitude.

"A wizard is never late Taran of Caer Dallben, nor is he early; he arrives precisely when he means too." Gandalf countered, giving Taran a good stare with his eyes and making the boy's mouth gape open since he had no idea that Gandalf was actually a wizard with magic powers of his own which he could use when he willed at any given time. "Seeing as how you know where the hidden Cottage is, you lead the way with Hen Wen and I'll follow the two of you; we must walk efficiently if we're to arrive before the day is over so hurry up and move along."

Meanwhile, far away from where Taran and Gandalf were starting their journey; someone else was thinking hard about what to do now that an important discovery had been made. Surrounded by treacherous mountains which twisted the landscape everywhere except for the beach on the opposite side of an immense lake from which it stood, was a tall ruined castle; overgrowth vegetation of thorns steadily rose up and attached themselves to the outside walls which nearly made the old stone fortress look abandoned had it not been for the lit torches that proved it was occupied. Inside a massive private chamber which was nearly filled with armoured skeleton remains of dead soldiers, a lone hooded figure roamed silently about the room; a figure with buck like horns protruding from his head and through the hood of the dark red cloak he was wearing. His flesh and skin was stone cold in appearance and his hands were very frail, his head and face looked even worse because of the skull looking appearance with only enough flesh on it to keep him alive. If this man had any eyes at all, they were both hidden in darkness and would remain unseen to all except those to were able to look deeply enough at his face in order to see them without going mad with fear afterwards; for this man was known to all Prydain as the Horned King.

"My soldiers, be patient and lay still a while longer; for I have discovered the means to find that which can resurrect you back from the dead." The Horned King whispered in a deep voice as he walked around admiring the many dead armoured skeletons which were still clutching their weapons; all gathered together to be turned into an army once the opportunity finally arrived in the near distant future. "Oh yes my soldiers, the Black Cauldron will soon be mine and with its evil power coursing through my veins; and I shall make all of you…cauldron born. Yes, and after we've conquered all those who would stand against me; we will rule everything for all time! Oh long I have waited to become a god among mortal men, now I only have to wait a little longer until the Black Cauldron is in my hands."

Author's Note: I've wanted to do a Black Cauldron cross over for such a long time, but I could never figure out what I could combine it with in order to make a great story; until the idea for Lord of the Rings suddenly hit me and that's when I had to use it. There are all sorts of reasons why the idea appealed to me but the first one was this, I suddenly thought Princess Eilonwy would make a great younger sister for Lady Eowyn of Rohan; their names sound similar not to mention the fact that both of them are of royal blood so I thought the idea works nicely. Taran has always wanted the chance to do heroic deeds and a story like this would be a dream come true for him, having the Horned King and the Black Cauldron along with the adventure of The Lord of the Rings sounded like an excellent plot twist as the two are combined together. Please review each chapter of this story once you've read it in the event that you wish to read more, any ideas or suggestions for future events are welcome to hear as well. Also bear in mind that I am writing multiple cross over stories at once so I won't necessarily update in a repetitive order, it all depends on finding the right words to use and brainstorming ideas, etc. Anyway, thank you for your taking the time to read and review my work; I look forward to hearing from you as I continue this story.


	2. Taran meets Gurgi and the Horned King

Disclaimer: I do not own The Black Cauldron, Lord of the Rings; or anything associated with either of them. This story is being written just for fun and enjoyment.

Chapter #2: Taran meets Gurgi and the Horned King

Taran, Gandalf and Hen Wen had begun their journey in the early morning, although the hidden Cottage was still a long distance away; they had covered a lot of ground over the past couple of hours. At midday, they had stopped to eat from the supplies that Dallben had packed for Taran to carry along the way; taking only a short break so they wouldn't loose valuable hours of daylight. The path that they were taking wasn't in a straight line since it lead through the vast forest to other areas throughout Prydain where other people dwelled, therefore they had to follow it until it brought them as close as possible to their eventual destination before they could leave it and travel across country with only Taran's memory to guide them along for the remainder their journey together. By now, it was late in the afternoon and although the sun was not setting; it was beginning to head toward the west which meant that there were only a few hours left before nightfall arrived. Taran lead the way and Gandalf was able to keep pace with him easily, this was due to Gandalf's own experience of taking long travels and also because Taran's walking speed was being governed by Hen Wen's slow pace; forcing both of them to walk slower so she wouldn't fall behind. Hen Wen could easily be held and carried by Taran, but not for a long travel such as this one; and he only picked her up and carried her when ever there was a need for it in the event that they had to ford a river or anything like that.

After walking through hilly terrain with meadows covered in green grass and pretty flowers, the three travellers eventually entered the Forbidden Forest; this was now the last lap of their journey which would take them to the hidden Cottage Dallben had spoken of. The area that they were presently travelling through now was filled with healthy growing plant life, the trees and bushes both had lush green leaves all over them; and the vast forest echoed with various sounds of animal life from all the creatures dwelling in it. A few moments went by until the trio came upon a small stream from which they could drink, Gandalf and Taran got down on their knees and cupped their hands together before drinking the fresh cool liquid; quenching their thirst after a very long day of walking all over the countryside. Hen Wen took a few gulps of water until she was also satisfied, before taking a moment to sit still and relax for a bit until both Taran and Gandalf were ready to move on; waiting patiently white the two human beings both stood up and got to their feet.

"Ah, that tasted good; now all we have to do is get to the other side of the Forbidden Forest where we'll find the hidden Cottage." Taran stated after wiping any traces of water from his face until it was dry.

"Are you sure that it's as far away as you remember Taran?" Gandalf asked curiously, hoping that the young lad's memory was reliable.

"Yes Gandalf, Dallben and I travelled there once before; I still remember where it is and how to get there even though it's been a long while since my last visit." Taran answered, wondering whether or not the old wizard was doubting his word. "Don't you believe me?"

"Yes Taran, I believe you; it's just been many a long year since the last time I came to Prydain and I've never had the opportunity to explore your country before since I'm always so busy with my errands and other such tasks." Gandalf replied. "However, now that the day is almost over; perhaps I should go on ahead of you and see for myself if the hidden Cottage is still hidden and uninhabited as we both hope it is just to be safe. We wouldn't want anyone waiting to catch us in an ambush at the place where we intend to stay hidden for a while so I'll investigate it and return once I'm done, you stay here to watch over Hen Wen until I come back; I promise I won't be gone long and there will still be time enough for us to go on until we arrive at the hidden Cottage together before the night closes in on us."

"Well shouldn't I be the one to go on ahead instead of you given how much faster I can…" Taran suggested as he finished filling an empty flask with fresh water from the stream, only to turn around and find himself alone with Hen Wen; his eyes widening with shock as he wondered where Gandalf suddenly disappeared too and how he had done it so fast just a mere moment after the old wizard had been standing beside him and talking to him. "Gandalf? Where are you Gandalf? Hen Wen? Have you seen where Gandalf went?"

Hen Wen shook her head in reply with a look of concern on her as she too wondered where Gandalf had gone, causing her and wonder what was going on since it didn't make sense for one of them to disappear without a trace; but Gandalf was a wizard with mysterious magic powers of his own which neither she nor Taran knew about and that was probably how Gandalf left so swiftly. Taran also came to this conclusion as well, there was no other possible explanation and in any event; he could always ask Gandalf how he did it once he returned after going on ahead to inspect the hidden Cottage so it really wasn't anything to get all worked up and worried about.

"Oh well, don't worry Hen; Gandalf will come back soon so we'll just have to wait until he does before we move on." Taran said, laying down on the soft level patch of ground by the flowing stream; thinking that now was as good of a time as any to take a short nap. "We might as well rest for a bit until Gandalf comes back, we'll be on the move again in a short while; get comfy and relax Hen Wen."

Taran and Hen Wen both settled down comfortably on the soft grass covered ground for a brief rest, sleep took hold of them until they drifted off into unconsciousness; each of their minds filling with dreams and images of what their deepest desires were as time went by. There was no guessing what ever Hen Wen was dreaming of, but Taran on the other hand; well that was fairly obvious given how much he wanted to go out on adventurous quests and fight in glorious battles as all great warriors and heroes usually do which is how they are remembered once they do their deeds and ensure that their names last through the ages from generation to generation. In the unconscious boy's dream, Taran was dressed in full armour; armed with a sword and shield as he stood proudly at the centre of a crowd that was cheering him on to celebrate his victorious achievements and other heroic deeds which had recently made him famous.

Meanwhile, far ahead; Gandalf had now arrived at the hidden Cottage where Taran had been leading him. Although he had never travelled to this place before, the wise wizard was able to get his bearings after confirming its location at the forest's edge; opposite from where he had left Taran and Hen Wen a short while ago. Using his magic, Gandalf had vanished and relocated himself within a few moments in order to ascertain whether or not the hidden Cottage was actually safe enough to kept Hen Wen hidden from anyone or anything in the service of the Horned King or other dangerous foes that might be looking for her. Being a wizard didn't mean that Gandalf could freely use his magic powers on a whim when ever he liked, for one always had to conceal their abilities and use them only when they deemed it to be absolutely necessary so no power was wasted when it might be needed for an even greater purpose later on; but Gandalf judged that this was one of those times given how important it was to keep Hen Wen and Taran free from harm which is why he had made up his mind to carry out this forward reconnaissance before his two companions came upon the place later.

The hidden Cottage stood in a tiny clearing which was surrounded by bushes except at the one entrance door at the front, the shelter wasn't even half the size of Dallben's Cottage; and the forest kept it hidden underneath the outstretched branches of multiple trees so no trace of it could be seen from the sky and no one living in the place had a view of the sky either. A short distance away from the cottage was a gap in the trees and Gandalf was surprised to find that he was standing on the edge of a small cliff which dropped straight down from the top of this tall hilly terrain which the Forbidden forest had grown from and dominated; giving him and anyone dwelling in the hidden Cottage a perfect view of the land below and far off to the distance horizon. The stream which Gandalf, Taran and Hen Wen had stopped at to drink from flowed here as well and poured over the side of the cliff before it ran down until it reached the bottom; creating a tiny waterfall which also provided a water source for who ever used the hidden Cottage as a temporary haven to shelter themselves until they moved on and departed.

Gandalf stayed quiet and kept his ears alert for any sudden noises that might warn him of danger approaching nearby as he inspected the grounds surrounding the hidden Cottage before going inside to check the small dwelling's interior once he was sure that no one was around, the cottage was merely a wooden structure with a thick triangular shaped roof which was filled with straw to provide some protection from the wind, rain and other such elements of the changing weather; but an inside look revealed that there was a stone fireplace much like the one at Dallben's Cottage and several small rooms including the main room which was the kitchen. The others were somewhat smaller, one was a bedroom and the other was merely a storage room for stockpiling firewood; tools and other items. Although the place looked uninviting due to the fact that it was rarely used and therefore uninhabited, there was one piece of comfort which the small place provided besides being a safe sanctuary where one could live and remain hidden; there was a large bed in the bedroom still in usable condition with soft warm blankets and pillows which were both clean and dry.

"Well, it looks as though this place is safe enough; Taran and Hen Wen should both be comfortable here until Dallben feels that they can return." Gandalf said quietly to himself as he eyed the small chimney coming out of the room of the Cottage, it was very short so any smoke rising from it would vanish before it rose to the tops of the trees; ensuring that one could light a fire inside for warmth and for cooking without having to worry about giving away their presence during the hours of both day and night. "Wait, what was that noise?"

Turning around and pausing for a few moments as he listened carefully, Gandalf slowly walked back outside the Cottage and looked around as far as he could see in the thick forest; he was puzzles since he couldn't see anything out of place which made him wonder if what he had heard was just his imagination playing tricks on him. But then he heard the noise again, it sounded like predatory cry coming from some dangerous creature of some sort; the noise had echoed across the land and Gandalf was able to tell it had come from the direction of the land below the cliff where he could see a bird's eye view of the terrain from above which prompted him to walk to the small gap in the off chance that he could catch a glimpse of what ever had made the ferocious cry. A moment later, he was standing in position looking around until his eyes finally caught sight of what was responsible for the sudden noise he had heard; his eyes widening as he saw that there were two creatures instead of just one and that they were both flying together high in the sky.

They were dragon like beasts and yet somewhat different in appearance, for their flesh and scale clad bodies were black with only two legs and two massive wings which gave them a bird like description in terms of body structure; each of these creatures had a long tail with four tiny horns coming out of them in the same pattern that a stegosaurus would have on its tail. The ferocious claws of the beasts were especially dragon like since they had three long toes with razor sharp claws and a short toe with its own claw at the base of each foot, their heads were dragon like in appearance; having two pale green eyes on them as well. Two long horns protruded outwards from the tops of their heads and pointed backwards, their noses were located on the ends of their monstrous snouts with a single small horn protruding out from the tip which also pointed backwards; it was miraculous that these single horns at the front of their heads didn't obscure their vision which they solely relied upon in order to hunt and kill. Their open jaws were filled with razor sharp predatory fangs which were dipping with animal saliva and each of their tongues bore a sickening resemblance to that of a poisonous snake.

"Those creatures look strangely familiar to me even though I've never seen them before, now why would that be I wonder?" Gandalf thought to himself out loud until his eyes widened when he suddenly remembered Hen Wen's mysterious vision early this morning, for it was these two monsters which were chasing Hen Wen from that brief scene and so it was revealed that they were apparently searching for her which also confirmed that they were servants working for the Horned King; meaning that both Hen Wen and Taran were now in great danger. "Oh no, they're servants of the Horned King; I must return before Taran and Hen Wen are both spotted by those beasts."

"Thank you everyone, but you're all forgetting that I couldn't have defeated the Horned King without the help of Hen Wen here; she's also a hero as well." An excited smile crossed Taran's face until he suddenly came to his senses, his eyes widening as he looked around and found that Hen Wen was not at his side; nor was she in sight from where the two of them had stopped to relax by the stream. "Oh no…"

Without wasting a moment, Taran immediately set about to find Hen Wen; looking at the ground for any sign of her tracks since they'd be fresh considering how so little time had passed by from when she had supposedly wandered off on her own. But why on earth would Hen Wen wander off on her own without Taran and Gandalf to accompany and protect her? This was the biggest question on Taran's mind as he roamed about through the trees, continuing in the direction of the hidden Cottage in the hopes of finding Hen Wen along the way without walking further away from where Dallben had instructed them to go from the start of their little journey; hoping and praying that she'd be found before any danger befell her. As each minute passed by without any success, the young boy wished that Gandalf was here so that the wizard could possibly use his magic powers to find Hen Wen right away; he also wished he hadn't fallen asleep for a quick nap so that he could have prevented Hen Wen from wandering off on her own given how much she needed to be protected to ensure that her special powers could not be used for evil means.

"HEN WEN!" Taran called out loud in an effort to call out to female pig so as to call her back and make her return to him, standing still and keeping quiet as the whole forest around him echoed with his loud call; hoping that he would hear anything which would give away Hen Wen's presence even though there was no telling where she had gone or where she was at this point. Without any luck, Taran went on walking for a few more moments until a rustling noise alerted him that something or someone was close by; hidden in the forest. Thinking that it was Hen Wen since she couldn't have gotten far on her own, Taran pulled out a fresh red apple from his small bag of provisions which Dallben had given him; holding it out for Hen Wen to see in the hopes that it would draw her back to him from where ever she was hiding in the lush green environment covering the forest floor. "I've got a treat for you Hen, come on out or I'll eat this…"

"Ah! Ha!" An excited voice cried out as a small furry creature dove down from the tree tops and landed on top of Taran, the impact caused him to fall on the ground; the red apple falling from his hand and bounced on the ground until it was recovered by the hungry rascal who went by the name Gurgi. "Finally, some munchings and crunchings for poor starving Gurgi; a nice big juicy apple! Oh Boy! What a tasty treat this is going to be, Gurgi will always be grateful for the kind boy who gave him some munchings and crunchings!"

Taking a moment to shake his head and recover his senses as he got himself off the ground, Taran looked over at the strange creature who had stolen his apple from him; one look was enough to deduce that Gurgi wasn't dangerous or even big since he only stood about three feet tall which was at the height of Taran's knees. One would think he was either a dwarf or a midget if his human shaped form wasn't completely covered in shaggy fur from head to toe, his eyes were blue and his big black nose gave him only helped to make him look more like an animal even though he could talk like a human being; although his ramblings and choice of words didn't always make any sense when he spoke out loud. His paws were dark brown and padded much like that of a bear even though he had no claws on his fingers and toes, the majority of his shaggy fur covering his small body was light grey except for the rest that was on his belly and head which was so fair that it was almost white; his ears which could barely be seen from underneath the hair of his head were brown and hung down which gave Gurgi a look of loneliness. A furry moustache grew out from under his nose, matching the colour of the hair on his head and part of his face above it which surrounded his blue eyes was dark brown; giving Gurgi a few human traits to his face.

"Hey! No you don't! Hold it right there!" Taran shouted in response, grabbing hold of Gurgi's furry back from behind in an effort to catch the thief before he could get away; luckily Gurgi had been too fixated on the apple's appetizing appearance to remember who he had stolen the piece of fruit from. "I didn't give you that apple! You took it and it didn't belong to you! Now hand it back to me right now! Ow!"

"Not nice to grab hold of poor Gurgi that way, not nice at all." Gurgi replied after lightly biting Taran's fingers which forced the young boy to release his hold and examine his hand which gave Gurgi the chance to escape into the forest…or so Gurgi thought.

"Hey! Hang on you furry little thief! Come back here with my apple!" Taran demanded, giving chase as Gurgi broke into a run and scurried into the thick bushes where he could hide and hopefully sneak away without his pursuer noticing; so long as he moved quietly enough without making any noise or giving away his position. "I'm warning you, if you don't come out and give it back, you'll be sorry."

Gurgi was about to give Taran the slip when he suddenly found himself pulled up and out of his hiding place by an unknown third party who had grabbed hold of the apple he had just stolen a moment ago, the creature then used both paws in an effort to yank it free; but it was no use and Gurgi could only grasp it and hope that this other being wasn't a danger to himself. It turns out that the person who had grabbed hold of the apple and lifted Gurgi up and out of the bush was none other than Gandalf who had now returned just as quickly as he had left a short while ago, he had been standing for a few moments behind a tree which had hidden him from view and staying still only helped even more to keep his presence unnoticed by the two quarrellers who were busy fighting over an apple; the old wizard stepped out from behind the tree so he could observe the furry little thief who had drawn so much attention to himself simply by stealing.

"Well now, what do we have here I wonder?" Gandalf asked curiously, raising his arm up high with the apple in hand that Gurgi was still clutching and now hanging by so he could get a good look at the furry little creature; staring eye to eye which gave Gurgi a shudder. "Looks like you made yourself a friend while I was a way eh Taran?"

"He's not a friend Gandalf, he stole my apple that I had saved for Hen Wen; she's wandered off on her own and I was looking for her until he jumped down on top of me from the trees." Taran responded after hearing Gandalf's little joke. "Now let go of the apple or you'll be sorry!"

As if on cue, Gandalf let go of the apple even though he knew that Taran was addressing Gurgi; causing Taran's mouth to gape wide open for a moment until he gave the wizard a glare which told him that now wasn't the time for joking around. Laughing briefly at this, Gurgi stole a glance at Gandalf and then wore a guilty expression on his face as he knew he reluctantly had to give back what he had stolen from Taran; Taran stood waiting with an angry look on his face since he wanted this matter closed so he could continue his search for Hen Wen. Walking over to Taran, Gurgi wiped off any traces of dirt from the apple before he slowly managed to hand it back; his stomach was growling at him which made him all the more hungry even though he knew it was wrong to steal from others.

"Good, and don't ever steal anything from anyone again; you'll end up in a lot more trouble." Taran warned, putting the apple back inside his provisions bag. "Now that that's done, we can go look for Hen Wen. You didn't see her when you came back at all did you Gandalf?"

"No, I thought you were watching over her in order to keep her safe as you promised Dallben you would." Gandalf replied, focusing his gaze on Taran which made the young pig keeper wear a guilty look for having lost track of Hen Wen. "When did you last see her Taran?"

"We were resting by the stream where you left us, she laid down for a nap and I didn't know how long you'd be so I had one too; a-and she was gone when I woke up." Taran explained. "I began looking for her and when I thought I heard her close by, I held out my apple so she'd come out of hiding; and that's when this little furry thief stole it from me shortly before you came back."

"Come then; let's see if we can find her while there is still some daylight left." Gandalf ordered, before turning his attention to Gurgi whose eyes were presently fixated on Taran's food bag where the apple had been placed; tapping his long wooden staff on the ground to draw Gurgi's attention to towards himself. "Ahem! By what name do you call yourself my little furry friend? You do have a name do you not?"

"Gurgi." The furry critter answered with a hint of nervousness under the watchful stare of Gandalf whom he was facing as well as the suspicious glare which Taran was giving him even though Gurgi was presently standing with his back to the young assistant pig keeper.

"Hello Gurgi, I am Gandalf and my young friend behind you whom you've already met is Taran." Gandalf replied kindly in a polite and gentle tone of his voice, causing Taran to roll his eyes since he was unsatisfied with the measure of kindness that the old wizard was showing to someone who had just recently committed an act of thievery. "We've both lost our travelling companion, a pig named Hen Wen who has gone missing after wandering off on her own; we are trying to find her. Have you seen her by any chance Gurgi?"

"Piggy? Hmm…" Gurgi replied, thinking carefully for a moment before he started making gestures with his paws to figure out what she looked like; eager to help out and make up for the wrong he had done. "A round, fat piggy with a big snout; floppy ears and curly tail?"

"Yes, yes; that's what Hen Wen looks like." Taran responded, hoping that they would find her fast without any trouble. "Well? Have you seen her?"

"Nope, Gurgi not see any piggy; nope." Gurgi answered, shaking his head back and forth from side to side; dashing everyone's hopes.

"Oh, never mind then; looks like Gandalf and I will have to go look for her ourselves." Taran said with a sigh, knowing that the task would be very difficult given how wide the forest was as well as the many animals that dwelled within it; sunset was drawing near so time was short.

"Master, master; let Gurgi help you find lost piggy." Gurgi suggested, grabbing hold of Gandalf's staff and tapping it on the ground a few times before darting over to Taran and tugging on his food bag where he began digging through in search of the red apple he so eagerly wanted to eat. "Three of us looking for her are better than two; Gurgi will repay his debt for stealing; munchings and chrunchings must be somewhere in here."

"Get out of my food bag you greedy little…wait; stop!" Taran called out, frantically trying to pull Gurgi away from the pouch of food fastened to his waist belt until he suddenly stopped when he heard a faint cry echoing in the distance. "What's that noise? Can you hear it?"

"Sounds like…" Gandalf muttered, trying to distinguish what kind of animal it was from even though the sound was very faint; there were other cries which sounded very different which made it difficult to tell what cry was from what animal until Gandalf's eyes widened once he suddenly knew the answer.

"A piggy?" Gurgi spoke up, looking from Taran to Gandalf over and over again.

"Oh no, it's Hen Wen; she must be in trouble!" Taran said with a worried look on his face, breaking into a run to race through the forest in the direction of the echoing cries; the sounds in his ears bringing his imagination to life as he feared what dangers Hen Wen had befallen.

"Come!" Gandalf called out to Gurgi, chasing after Taran and managing to keep pace with the young boy as Gurgi followed. "Quickly!"

The three of them ran as fast as they could through the trees and while trying not to trip on any roots, low hanging branches or large stones which obstructed them until they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest; there they came to a halt and saw what they were afraid of. Out in the open clearing of bare, rugged and hilly terrain surrounded by dead trees without leafs; Hen Wen was frantically scurrying about on all fours in a desperate attempt to dodge and flee from two predatory creatures which were attacking her from above. These were the very same dragon like beasts that Gandalf had seen a short while ago during his quick visit to the hidden Cottage, they were also the creatures which he along with Taran and Dallben had seen in Hen Wen's vision early this morning; these were servants of the Horned King. Though they looked like dragons, these creatures were called Gwythaints and unlike real dragons; they couldn't breath fire so that was a relieve.

"Uh oh, the poor piggy is going to be eaten up." Gurgi stated, receiving a brief glare from Taran which made him think before speaking out loud from now on. "Why are they eating the piggy wig yet?"

"They want to catch her alive and unharmed, it looks as though they're trying to keep her trapped in the open clearing where they can catch her once one of them picks her up in its claws; that explains why the two of them are taking turns darting down to attack her in a continuous cycle so she can't get away." Gandalf deduced, studying the Gwythaints carefully with his eyes from where he stood.

"Well I'm not waiting for that to happen; we have to save her now!" Taran said, breaking into a run and racing out into the open to chase Hen Wen down before the Gwythaints would take notice of him.

"Wait Taran!" Gandalf called out, knowing that the boy's courage had overcome his caution. "It's too dangerous!"

"Uh oh, young master is going to fight off scary flying monsters; not good." Gurgi commented, crouching down to stay hidden and safe.

"He's going to hurt himself if he doesn't learn any patience." Gandalf stated before following after Taran in order to keep him from harm.

"ROAR!" A Gwythaint screeched as it dove in and nearly clasped Hen Wen in its claws, shoving the helpless pig into the dirt and rubble before flying up while the other Gwythaint took its turn to swoop down and attack; repeating the attack pattern again and again.

Hen Wen continued squealing in fear as she desperately kept running around on the ground in an effort to escape from the flying beasts that were attacking her, time and time again; she narrowly escaped with her life as each Gwythaint came down to try and pluck her from the ground now that she was unable to leave the clearing since they were keeping her trapped where they wanted her. It was a miracle that Hen Wen had managed to avoid capture thus far given how helpless she was, she could dodge when ever a Gwythaint came in to seize her since they were flying creatures and couldn't turn as sharply as she could; but she was outnumbered and outmatched so it was only a matter of time until she was caught by one of them. Despite the danger of drawing the attention of the beasts, Taran knew that he could protect Hen Wen by allowing her to escape if he could get to her before she was plucked up from the ground; so he kept running and Gandalf followed close behind.

"Hen Wen!" Taran shouted out loud, catching Hen Wen's attention as she changed direction and ran towards him as fast as she possibly could. "Over here! Hurry! Come on! Hurry Hen! Run!"

But it was too late, for each of the Gwythaints had spied Taran and Gandalf from above and both of them reacted accordingly to stop Hen Wen from being rescued; one of them swooped down and grabbed the squealing pig in its claws while the other dove down to ground level and positioned itself between Taran and Gandalf. Hen Wen was just out of reach when Taran arrived on the scene, so he took hold of the Gwythaints massive tail in an effort to accompany Hen Wen to where ever it was that she was being taken too or to weight down the monster so it couldn't fly away; but the second Gwythaint attacked from behind and drove Taran's body face down into the hard ground which forced him to let go and allow the first Gwythaint to get away with its prey. Despite the numerous bruises he had sustained as well as a bloody lip on his face, Taran ignored his injuries and got back on his feet; racing after the flying monsters on foot with what ever energy and stamina his worn out body could muster.

"No! Come back here you flying brutes!" Taran called out loud as he ran into a dense thicket of tightly packed trees and thorn bushes; moving carefully through the narrow crawlspace and knocking branches out of his way until he had come out the other side; only to arrive at the base of a small rocking slope which lead upwards on an angle to the top of a large mountain. "Hang on Hen! I'm coming!"

Although the rocky slope was on an angle, its surface was solid and almost smooth apart from the jagged rocks and lose fragments which were laid out over it; this made climbing it a difficult challenge for anyone even if they were as agile and young as Tara was. After nearly losing his grip sliding back down on several occasions, Taran managed to reach the top from where he could observe the landscape and horizon; Gandalf and Gurgi eventually caught up with him just a few minutes later and the three of them now looked at what lay ahead before them. A twisted landscape of mountains and a desolate wasteland devoid of any vegetation or animal life as far as the eye could see, a ruined castle with a gloomy lake beyond; the Gwythaints were both flying towards it which meant that they had discovered the Horned King's lair. The blood red coloured sky was blocked out by a thick blanket of thunderclouds and the lightning bolts which crashed in the distance signalled that a heavy storm was gathering, the sun was now setting and once it was gone; the only light sources other than the lightning would be from the torches which were lit up by the inhabitants who had now occupied the castle for themselves.

"I must go and get Hen Wen out of there no matter what it takes, regardless of what dangers I'll have to face inside." Taran stated, before he felt a hand on his shoulder; he saw it was Gandalf after turning around to look behind him. "That's where Hen Wen's been taken too, I saw those monsters fly over to that castle; we have to go and save her before the Horned King does anything to her!"

"Patience…take a deep breath and let's think before we act, only with clear heads and calm minds can we hope to prevail now." Gandalf advised. "Remember that the Horned King dwells inside that castle, he needs Hen Wen's special powers to discover the where the Black Cauldron is presently located which means she'll be kept alive; we can't rush in blindly like fools without a plan or we'll lose more than just our lives."

"Well can't you use your magic powers to get us inside quickly without being spotted?" Taran asked curiously, hoping that would work.

"No, a wizard only uses his powers if and when it's absolutely necessary; magic does not solve all of one's problems." Gandalf explained, causing the young pig keeper to let out a sigh since he knew they'd have to sneak in the conventional way and hope that they wouldn't get caught. "Being a wizard isn't as great as someone like yourself might think it is, I'm still an old man and I'm every bit as human and normal as yourself Taran; the only differences if any are that I'm many years older than you could ever guess or could ever hope to reach in age when you too become an old man. But I've used that immense amount of time to learn various skills and accumulate a great deal of knowledge throughout my long life, because of that; I have gained other abilities which I can use at my disposal whether they are magic or not. For example, I carry a sword so I can defend myself or others whom I wish to protect and although I am a wizard; I've learned swordsmanship since I have to rely on it when ever I can't afford to use my powers. I can be killed just as easily as you and Gurgi can, it's just a question of when, how or by whom if fate decides that I am to fall by another's hand instead of dying from old age."

"I…understand." Taran replied after managing to process all of what Gandalf had just said in his explanation. "Well what now then?"

"In order to rescue Hen Wen we must first find a way to enter the castle, preferably without our presence being discovered." Gandalf answered. "Secondly, to find out Hen Wen's whereabouts and whether or not she's alright; only then can we devise a plan which will allow all of us to escape together. Now besides rescuing Hen Wen, we must also find out all we can about the Horned King's plans; most specifically how he came by the knowledge of the Black Cauldron and how he has forged an alliance with the Dark Lord Sauron."

"So are we going in together or are we splitting up?" Taran asked before turning to Gurgi. "Are you going to accompany us Gurgi?"

"Me? G-Go in there?" Gurgi responded with a reluctant look on his face which was more than enough to show he was too frightened to go inside of the castle where the two Gwythaints had gone; the Horned King was also inside so there would be many dangers inside which he did not want to encounter. "Oh no, no, no; it's too dangerous. Listen to Gurgi, don't go in there or you won't come out again if you do."

"Fine, stay here then; Gandalf and I don't need you because we can go in on our own." Taran said, pulling the apple out of his food bag and tossing it to Gurgi. "Here, I won't need this if I won't make it out of the castle once I go in; you can have it for yourself."

"We'll both go down together until we reach the castle and from there, you sneak inside one way and I'll go in another; I'll be sure to find you once you're inside so just worry about yourself and Hen Wen." Gandalf instructed, looking around for the best possible route to climb down the top of the mountain until they reached the bottom. "You lead and I'll follow behind you, just make sure not to go too far ahead of me as we go down; I'm still an old man and I might require your aid along the way until we both eventually arrive at the bottom."

"Alright, be careful not to lose your footing, call out if you fall or need help so I'll know before it's too late." Taran replied as he started off.

"Well I suppose this is where we part ways, goodbye to you Gurgi; take care of yourself as best as you can and don't steal from anyone." Gandalf said, causing the furry critter to climb up his long staff and hug him by the waist for a moment before letting go.

"Goodbye." Gurgi replied with a few sniffles as Gandalf patted him softly on the head before following after Taran; leaving Gurgi alone at the top of the mountain. "If Taran and Gandalf go into evil castle, poor Gurgi will never see his friends again; and Gurgi will be all alone."

The climb down was somewhat easier than expected, although there were a few times when both Taran and Gandalf had momentarily lost their footing or grip of the rocky surface as they climbed down together; one slow movement at a time just to be safe given the perilous height that they were at and because of the smooth angled slope with jagged rocks here and there like barriers. Once they arrived at the bottom, they begun the long laborious walk towards the castle which now looked even farther away from when they had been standing at the top of the mountain; but there was a single rocky pathway winding around through the hilly labyrinth of rock formations which would lead them straight to the castle so there was no need to worry about getting lost. Although they could be seen from the castle, all the inhabitants were presently inside and no lookouts had been posted to watch over the surrounding area around the moat so that was another blessing that they were thankful for; the sun had already vanished and the dark had set in which also covered the approach of the two travellers. After accomplishing most of the journey by way of the road leading to and from the castle, Taran and Gandalf left the path in order to approach the castle without being spotted at the main gate where the entrance was; they waded across the water of the moat which was connected with the lake until they arrived at the base of the outer wall.

"Well, here we are; we've arrived safely." Taran said cheerfully even though the cold water was making him shiver a little. "Now all we have to do is climb inside, look around until we find Hen Wen and get out quickly without getting killed; sounds easy enough eh?"

"You seem very confident that we'll be able to pull this off without running into any set backs or difficulties." Gandalf replied humorously, knowing full well that Taran was just trying to keep their spirits up; especially since the Horned King was somewhere inside the castle.

"I'm just trying to stay positive, that's the best way to survive; whether you're in freezing cold water or sneaking into a heavily guarded castle." Taran said with a smile as he managed to climb out of the water by grabbing hold of the rugged and ruined wall of stone.

"Since the hour is now late, everyone will probably be dining together in the banquet hall; that will hopefully allow us to wander around in search of Hen Wen with less guards being stationed throughout the majority of the castle." Gandalf deduced, staying in the water for a few more moments to gather his strength despite how cold he was. "Nevertheless, be on your guard; there's no telling how many inhabitants there are inside of the castle. In fact, pretend as though you're going to save Hen Wen by yourself and that I was never with you; the Horned King must believe that you're alone if you are caught so that I can save you as well as Hen Wen. Understand Taran?"

"Yes I understand Gandalf, what will you be doing besides looking around for Hen Wen?" Taran asked curiously before looking upwards for any sign of a window or balcony which he could use to enter inside of the castle. "Will you be looking around for the Horned King?"

"No, I will be looking around for answers to questions, questions that need answering; but I'll be sure to find you in the event that I happen to find Hen Wen first." Gandalf answered, holding his staff still and concentrating quietly with his mind on another task at hand.

"Sounds good, but what to I do if you get captured instead of…me?" Taran asked, looking back down only to find Gandalf had once again vanished without a trace; feeling somewhat envious of the old wizard's magic powers. "Why couldn't you use that on both of us?"

Shaking his head in frustration, Taran let it go and focussed on his own task; scaling the wall until he could find a way to get inside of the castle without being seen. Although climbing straight up was a difficult challenge, Taran was fortunate that it was night time so no one would be able to see him; the thunder and lightning provided plenty of noise to drown out any sounds he made during his ascent and that was also something to be grateful for. The castle wall was constructed of brick and stone, but in its worn and ruined condition; not all of them were solid and sturdy as one would expect them to be. There were many loose ones, and Taran found this out the hard way when he grabbed hold only to yank them out and watch them fall all the way down into the moat below; the overgrowth of vegetation of thorns and veins helped to deteriorate the castle walls over time and they also served Taran by giving him something to pull himself up with when there were no ledges or places to grip with his worn out hands. Finally, Taran hid a stroke of luck when he yanked a rumble of loose rocks away; revealing a gapping hole in the wall that was just large enough for him to crawl his way through from the outside. Upon entering, he found himself standing in a hallway which leads throughout the castle. Although there were still many dangers that he had yet to face, Taran was glad that he had no more climbing to do; so he walked around and made sure to stay quiet as he looked around.

"Wooah! Wooah! Wooah!" An angry dog barked loudly, yanking on its chain collar in order to break free and attack Taran who was given quite a scare by the sudden surprise appearance; the commotion awoke a guard sleeping at a table which forced Taran to hide and hope that the man and dog would leave without incident.

"Come on you stupid old mutt, its time to begin our shift; you're a guard dog so only bark if you see anyone." The man grumbled, moving along and leaving the area as he tugged on the chain leash which forced the dog to accompany him; leaving Taran alone.

After letting out a sigh, Taran heard voices from behind him as he peered through an open door; he was surprised to find himself standing in the rafters of the ceiling directly above the banquet hall which was filled with perhaps thirty or forty men; all henchmen or mercenaries by the manner in which they were dressed as well as from what Taran could gather from overhearing their conversations. All the men were dirty, middle aged; some with beards and some without. They were all dressed in raggedy old clothes, some which were made of furs from animals; and they were apparently celebrating some sort of occasion which Taran had yet to find out about. Everyone was drinking beer, wine or ale; which ever was being served as well as eating roast meat. No one had any table manners at all, not that Taran seemed to mind or care since he had far more important things on his mind to worry about. But all there weren't just henchmen present in the hall, both of the Gwythaints which had abducted Hen Wen were perched on a large T shaped post that was fastened to the floor; the men eating at the table would occasionally toss bones and scraps at the creatures in order to watch them fight over food.

In addition to the Gwythaints, there was also a women dancing on top of a table surrounded by a band of brigands; she was dressed in a bright coloured garment which suggested she might be some sort of circus performer or an entertainer of some kind. The most curious person in the banquet hall was a small goblin, green like a frog with his right eye kept shut by a deformity of his body. His left eye was functional and looked overly big and pale, but one could tell it was red even though it was tough to tell; unless one looked carefully enough. He looked to be the same size as Gurgi although he wasn't as tall, but that's all Taran could gather from the vantage point; the goblin was dressed in what looked like a bright purple poncho and brown shorts. His small teeth and tiny claws looked menacing enough in addition to the ugly glaring expression that he frequently wore on his face, but given his small size; he wasn't really one to be afraid of which Taran could easily see for himself as the henchmen took turns bullying and harassing the foul creature. Since everyone was hungry, it was wise to eat what you could when you could before someone else helped themselves to food on the table; the green goblin wasn't welcome at the table when he tried to get some food for himself.

"Hey!" A man at the end of the bench shouted, slamming his sword down on the table and cut the slice of meat in two portions; leaving the tiny piece for the goblin to take. "Keep your hands away from our food, you little Creeper!"

"Going somewhere Creeper?" Another man said sarcastically as he tripped the green goblin over with his foot, causing him to fall with his plate landing on top of his head; making everyone laugh out loud even more than they were already. "Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

But suddenly a low howling noise echoed throughout the hall, followed by a gust of wind which blew the overhanging banners around; causing everyone to hush and stay silent. A crackling sound from orange flames and blue streaks of lightning appearing in one of the entrances to the banquet hall gave everyone a shudder, a cloud of black smoke rose out of the doorway and as it cleared; a lone figure hooded and cloaked stood just inside with his back to a burning fire behind him. Taran's eyes and mouth were gapped wide open, even he felt the same fear that everyone below felt as their hearts were struck with fear upon seeing the Horned King; he managed to control his breathing just enough to calm himself so he could watch what would happen next now that the Horned King had finally made an appearance. Now more than ever, Taran wished Gandalf was here; he'd feel much safer with him at his side and he'd also felt better since the old wizard could usually formulate a plan to get out of any difficult situation whether he used his magic powers or not.

"Welcome sire! Forgive us for any disturbances; we were all merely celebrating our success!" Creeper said in an excited tone, he poured a cup full of wine until he realized that the cup was upside down which made him flip it over in order to fill it with what was left in the wine bottle before serving it on the arm rest of the throne where the Horned King was now seated at so he could look over the banquet hall from an elevated height; it was obvious he was sucking up to the Horned King who was his master since he was panting like a dog for a moment when ever he didn't talk. "I-I mean your success! Ahem, bring in the prisoner!"

"Oh no, well at least she's alive; time to see what happens next." Taran whispered to himself as he watched Hen Wen who had chained cuffs fasted to her forelegs and a chain collar around her neck which was used to drag her forward until she stood before the Horned King as a prized captive with the jailor holding the other end of the chain like a leash.

"As you can see sire, we've captured the pig that creates prophetic visions!" Creeper explained as another man placed a bowl of water in front of Hen Wen so she would be able to use her powers as she did earlier in the morning at Dallben's cottage. "Alright pig, show His Majesty where the Black Cauldron can be found! Get on with it, we haven't got all night; everyone here in the banquet hall is waiting!"

But Hen Wen knew better than to help her enemies, she simply turned her head and ignored the command; giving everyone a clear indication that she wouldn't cooperate. This brief act of defiance in the presence of the Horned King made Taran chuckle quietly with amusement, even in a dangerous situation such as this; Hen Wen put on a brave face and refused to carry out what was demanded of her. A pity that Dallben and Gandalf weren't here to witness this, Taran was sure that they'd find it as amusing as he did; but Hen Wen couldn't keep this up for long since any refusal would make her captors furious and less merciful. When Creeper commented about how stubborn Hen Wen was acting, the Horned King wasn't amused; he took hold of the green goblin's neck and squeezed it for several seconds before tossing the critter on the floor.

"Yes sire, you're quite right; I'll see to it at once! Well? Where is the Black Cauldron? Show us swine!" Creeper demanded, grabbing Hen Wen and shoving her head into the bowl of water before grabbing an iron tool to clasp and hold a piece of burning hot coal taken from the cooking fire with which to burn Hen Wen's flesh if she didn't do as she was told. "I warn you, the King's patience is running short!"

"No! Don't hurt her! Wooah! No!" Taran cried out, giving himself away in the process as he lost balance and tumbled from the rafters above; falling down on the floor below after grabbing hold of a banner which tore apart and gave him a soft landing.

Upon landing, some of the henchmen wandered over to take Taran prisoner since he was both an intruder and an enemy; his unexpected presence caused a commotion and everyone was wondering how long he had been up in the rafters as well as how he had managed to sneak inside of the castle without being seen. Taran grabbed hold of what he thought was a spear in order to defend himself with, but he realized his mistake when he saw it was a broom instead; forcing him to give up fighting given that he was outmatched and outnumbered by all of these armed mercenaries. When the brigand who had caught Taran was about to run him through with his sword, Creeper demanded that Taran be released so everyone could find out just what was going on; so the muscular man tossed Taran over to Hen Wen were he could be presented to the Horned King. Once Hen Wen was reunited with Taran, she momentarily forgot the danger she was in and smiled at the welcome sight of her young caretaker; making a few affectionate grunts here and there to show how happy she was to see Taran once more.

"It's alright Hen Wen, I've found you and I'll make sure no one will hurt you; yes I'm happy to see you too." Taran said, hugging her gently.

"Well now, it seems to me that the two of you know each other; which means that you must be this pig's care taker." The Horned King said calmly even though his deep voice sounded twisted which made his words echo as he spoke aloud. "Am I not correct, young boy?"

"Y-Yes sir, I-I am Hen Wen's keeper." Taran answered, his own fears were driving him to reply back; for his voice was trembling for a moment and all of Dallben's warnings about the Horned King had now come back to haunt him as he heard them repeatedly in his mind.

"Then instruct her to use her powers so she may show me the whereabouts of the Black Cauldron." The Horned King demanded, finally taking the cup of wine so that he could drink while he waited for Taran to do as he had commanded.

"I-I'm sorry sir, I can't do that; I promised my master that I wouldn't." Taran answered. "Besides, I can't guarantee what she'll show you."

"Very well then, if that is your decision; then the pig is of no use to me." The Horned King replied coldly, shattering the glass cup with the forced pressure of his skeletal looking hand; this was a signal to Creeper who now grabbed Hen Wen and pulled her away from Taran.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Taran asked in dismay as Creeper shoved Hen Wen over an execution block for the hooded man to fell her head off with a single blow of his long axe, raising the weapon up for the strike; Hen Wen squealed in fear for her life. "No! You can't!"

"Don't worry pig boy, she won't feel a thing; it'll be quick and painless! Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Creeper commented sarcastically, causing everyone to join in and laugh; Taran could only watch helplessly as he was being restrained by two henchmen. "Does anyone want some roast pork? Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! The Gwythaints look like they're hungry eh pig boy?"

"No don't! Stop!" Taran pleaded, knowing that giving in was the only way to save Hen Wen's life. "I'll make her use her special powers."

"That's better, release the pig…and the boy; stand aside and give them plenty of room." The Horned King spoke out before giving commands to his henchmen; they obeyed quickly and backed away so he could observe Taran using Hen Wen's special ability.

"Get on with it and show us some visions then, pig!" Creeper shouted as he kicked Hen Wen from behind until she was beside the bowl of water, Taran was shoved to the floor upon being released and spilled some of the water when he collided with the bowl; but there was still enough water inside for him to make Hen Wen use her powers.

"I'm sorry Hen, there's no other way to save you; let's get it over with." Taran whispered apologetically before spinning his finger in the water as he spoke the commanding words which, Hen Wen's eyes followed along until they became heavy; she would soon drop her chin into the water once Taran was done. "Hen Wen, from you I do beseech; knowledge that lies beyond my reach. Troubled thoughts weigh on your heart; share you now those thoughts in part."

"Look! Look at the water sire!" Creeper said, jumping on the stone stares of the elevated throne as he clapped his hands in excitement; a golden light shone from the water and Hen Wen's prophetic visions were once again revealed for all those present to see. "It's working!"

"Ah, so it's true; the Black Cauldron can be found after all!" The Horned King said in awe, standing up from his throne and walking down to get a closer look from where Taran sat kneeling; completely captivated by Hen Wen's prophetic vision just as everyone else was. "Go on, yes. Where is it? Where can it be found? Show me…show me…"

Knowing that the Horned King was approaching closer, Taran gave in to his own curiosity and turned around to look behind him; getting a perfect glimpse of the Horned King's face. Although the Horned King was hooded and cloaked, Taran was close enough to see the bare skull with barely any skin and flesh left on it; it was a miracle that he was even alive at all from Taran's opinion. Given how cruel he was though, perhaps he possesses some evil power which allowed him to remain alive despite of his body's condition and appearance; or so Taran guessed anyway. The Horned King was presently standing from behind Taran's crouched form leaning to look over his head so he could gain a perfect view of the water which Hen Wen's visions were being revealed, this wasn't a good idea though; and the deformed dictator would find out in a moment. As frightening as his face was, it was the Horned King's eyes which gave Taran the scare of his life; Hen Wen was fortunate not to see since she was hypnotized in a trance. The Horned King's eyes burned like fire and yet they were red; the very centre of each eye was slightly darker than the rest of it which was especially frightening to see up close.

"Ahh!" Taran cried out, leaping to his feet and accidentally stepping on the bowl of water; catapulting it into the air and dosing the now scolding hot liquid into the Horned King's face and eyes as he grabbed Hen Wen so they could make a getaway. "Come on Hen Wen!"

"AAAHHHHHH!" The Horned King shrieked in agony as he held his skeletal hands to his face in an effort to make the pain go away, steam rose from above where he stood; no one dared approach him for fear of unleashing his wrath upon them.

"After them!" Don't stand there you fools! Catch them!" Creeper demanded, taking charge on behave of the Horned King until his master had recovered from the injuries he had sustained to his face; all the henchmen and mercenaries chased after Taran and Hen Wen.

Taran knew he needed to find another way out of the castle than the one he had used to get in, but that would have to wait; the main problem was outrunning the hordes of henchmen and mercenaries who were pursuing him. The Gwythaints gave chase too; but they were still chained to the T shaped post fastened to the floor and although they yanked it loose with their combined strength; its shape and size would prevent them from overtaking their runaway prey. The creatures flew along as they dragged the post with them from the ends of their chains, the post tripping over many of the henchmen from behind before knocking over the large pot on the cooking fire; scattering hot coals and burning debris everywhere which stopped them dead in their tracks. The Gwythaints quickly caught up with Taran and almost had him and Hen Wen within reach to grasp with their claws, but the T shaped post at the other end of their chained became caught on the entrance beams of the doorway and once the chains tightened up; both creatures halted and dropped to the stone floor. Taking a turn, Taran came to an abrupt halt as he found he had nearly entered a butchery where livestock was killed and prepared to be cooked. The man inside hurled a butcher knife at Taran and luckily the deadly kitchen tool missed when it embedded itself into the wooden door, and a moment later; one of Taran's pursuers had managed to catch up to him.

"Gotcha, pig boy!" Creeper cackled in an overly confident tone as he leapt into the air, trying to grab hold of Taran's neck; the young pig keeper ducked just in time before running away which resulted in the green goblin to land inside of a barrel with rolled along due to the critter's momentum until it collided with the man who had thrown the butcher knife at Taran a mere moment ago. "Woaah! Woaah!"

After a quick series of turns, Taran arrived at an outside balcony that looked out of the castle and even better; the moat was down below. Still holding on to Hen Wen with one arm, the determined young boy shoved the huge door shut and slammed down the locking beam which kept it shut; that would hopefully buy him and Hen Wen enough time to escape. Although it was a long way down and too long for anyone to jump, there was no other alternative available and they had only a few minutes at most to get away now; the door couldn't hold off the henchmen forever. Now would certainly be a good time for Gandalf to show up, but there was no point in thinking that and neither Taran; nor Hen Wen had any spare time to waste by waiting for him. Using all his strength, Taran lifted Hen Wen up to the stone balcony wall and pushed her up with his hands so she could climb over the top; then she could jump down and he would follow her before they would swim to the other side and escape together.

"I know it's a long jump down to the moat Hen, but it's our only chance of escape; come on and climb!" Taran urged, pushing Hen Wen up from underneath with his hands; lifting her weight and allowing her to scramble over the wall as the door was being broken down with axes and clenched fists. "Go on, jump! Good, now hurry and swim for the other side Hen! I'll be down before you no it…wooah!"

"Gotcha, pig boy!" Creeper shouted triumphantly as he dragged Taran away from the wall by his ankles after squeezing through the broken door just in time to stop the escapee from jumping, the henchmen made way for the Horned King to come on to the scene; Taran was dragged back and set in front of him so that he could be dealt with for trying to escape. "I caught him your Majesty! I caught the boy!"

"But you allowed the pig to get away didn't you?" The Horned King replied with an unsatisfied tone of disappointment as he held Creeper up by his neck, choking the green goblin for a few moments before letting him drop to the floor; turning his attention to Taran. "You have caused me quite a lot of trouble young man, cause anymore and your life won't last for much longer. Throw the boy into the dungeon!"

Author's Note: I most sincerely apologize to all those who have been waiting patiently for the next chapter of this cross over story, life has been hectic and I'm also writing more than one story; its very difficult to write when time is limited and especially when one lacks the energy or experience to write efficiently enough to complete each chapter within a set schedule. As much as I would like to update a chapter for each of my three stories in a continuous order, I tend to focus on a particular one from time to time depending on the events of the stories and how much I can transfer from my imagination to paper. I will try and write out a new chapter for this story more often; hopefully the wait will just be a month to a month and a half. Thank you all for your patience and support, I very much appreciate it.


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